Inking mechanism



Sept. 3, 1940. A. TAYLOR INKING MEcHANIsM Filed April 2s. 1938 Patented Sept. 3, 1940 l v l I l I y UNITED STATES. ,PATENT oFFIcE mmc MEoHANTsM Auburn Taylor, Charleston, Va., assignor to The Goss Printing Press Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application April za, 193s, serialize. 203,740 .scimmiai (ci.1o1s5o)'\ The present invention relates to printing press form of a large number o'f spaced-apart, relainking mechanisms, and more particularly to a tively small dots of ink, the area of which is connovel and improved-method and apparatus for trolled and varied to obtain the desired quantiregulating and controlling the supply of ink to tive regulation. The invention also provides such 5- a rotary printing press. an improved lnking apparatus in which ink is 5 Objects and advantages of the invention will transferred by means of a pair of rollers running be set forth in part hereinafter and in partlwill in contact with .each other, one of the rollers be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by prachaving a surface wherein the outermost part of tice with the invention, the same being realized the roller-consists of contiguous.' pointed taperl0 and attained by means of the instrumentalities ing bodies or projections, with sides sloping away 10 and combinations pointed out in the appended from the points (constituting` the ink-carrying claims. elements), while the other roller has a smooth or 'I'he invention consists in the novel parts, coneven surface, and one'of the two'rollers is resilstructions, arrangements, combinations and imient so that by varying the pressure between the i5 provements herein shown-and described. two rollers, the area of contact between the two 15 The accompanying drawing, referred to hererollers may be varied by reason of the pyramidal in and constituting a part hereof, illustrates one or conoidal protuberances projecting or being in embodiment of the invention, and together with dented more or less into-the resilient roller, therethe description, serve to explain the principles by varying and accurately controlling the amount 0 of the invention. of ink transferred. 20

Of the drawing: In accordance with the present preferred man- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a ner of carrying out the invention, and in the iltypical and illustrative embodiment of the inlustrative embodiment of the apparatus therefor, Ventlon; a rollerhaving such an ink-receiving and con- 2,3 Figure 2 is a detailed fragmentary sectional veying surface is adapted to run in contact with 25 view showing two of the ink transfer rollers in an ink-supplying 01 fountain I'Oller. and With an a position to transfer a relatively small amount ink transfer roller. The ink is transferred from of ink; the fountain roller tothe above-described roller Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevation of the deand is then transferred to the even surface roller, 3Q veloped surface of one of the rollers; from which it may be transferred to a distributing 30 Figure 4 is a fragmentary detailed sectional drum and thereafter applied to the printing surview of two of the ink transferring rollers in a face. Either rOller 1S Preferably made 0f resilpositlon to transfer a relatively large amount ient material. The desired form of the roller is of ink; preferably effected by forming the surface there- $5 Figure 5 is a fragmentary' elevation f the deof as a large number of contiguous and relatively 35 veloped surface of one of the rollers showing the small and uniform cones, pyramids, or other manner in which a relatively small amount of' bodies, ,having 8i relatively Small 81'08- at their ink is transferred thereto; l I outer end and having sloping sides. 'I'he fountain Figure 6 is a similar view but showing the roller roller may be of substantially conventional conviii) with a relatively large amount of ink transferred struction and iS preferably adapted 170 Cooperate 40 to it; and with a doctor blade which regulates the amount Figure v'I is adiagrammatic vertical sectional 01' lnk l941118112115 theIeOn and thereby 011115654 view of a modified embodiment of the present uniform amount'to be transferred to the surface invention. 1 of the uneven roller. Means are provided, in ac Q5' vThe present invention has for its object the cordance with the present invention, for 'vary` 45 preparen of a novel and improved inkingmetnod ing the pressure exerted between the aforesaid and mechanism particularly adapted for use in roller and the even roller, and as one of these rotary presses and adapted to simply, effectively two rollers is of resilient material, or is provided and minutely regulate and control over a wide with a resilient, surface, the area of contact be:

5o range of variation the amount of ink delivered tween it and the aforesaid roller may be widely 50 from an ink supply to the printing plates. A varied by varying the degree of pressure exerted f further object of the invention isthe provision between them. When only the lightest degree of of a novel and improved vsupplying and varying pressure is employed, the even roller contacts method in which the ink is transferred from an only with the tops ofthe spaced-apart, uneven inl: supply to an ink distributing surface vthe or sloping-sided bodies forming the 'roller` sur- Il-l face, and only a very small amount of ink is transferred in the separated dots, while by increasing the pressure between these two rollers, the area of their surface contact is increased, thus increasing the sizeof the dots of ink transferred and thereby effecting an increase in the amount of ink fed from the ink supply to the transfer roller.

In accordance with the illustrated modied embodiment of the invention, the reticulated roller is formed of resilient material, and is adapted to operate as a transfer roller between the distributing drums, and a similar effect is obtained by varying the degree of pressure exerted between the transfer roller and one or both of the distributing drums.

It will be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description as well are exemplary and explanatory of the invention but are not restrictive thereof.

Referring now in detail to the embodiment of the invention illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, an'ink fountain I is provided, which may be of known or other suitable form. A fountain roller 2 is shown mounted to rotate in the ink i in the fountain, which roller likewise may be of known or other suitable form. A suitable doctor blade 3, having screwthreaded positioning means il, may be utilized in a known manner to regulate the thickness of the ink coating on the fountain roller, and various other parts and appliances, not shown, may be employed as desired or required in connection with the fountain mechanism to regulate the inking action. In the form shown in Fig. 1, a roller is provided which takes ink from the fountain roller 2 in spaced-apart dots, the amount of ink in the dots being regulated and varied as'desired, and this is done wholly or in part, by varying the area of the dots of ink. To this end, one of these two coacting rollers is provided with a surface having spaced-apart ink-conveying projections, and one at least of the rollers is formed Wholly or in part of resilient material, whereby through varying the pressure between the rollers, the surface areas of the contact points are varied and the amount of ink transferred is thereby accurately and minutely regulated.

In said embodiment a roller 9, adapted to take ink from fountain roller 2, is rotatably mounted in a pair of arms IU, which are medianly pivotally mounted at I I on any suitable support. Roller 9 conveys ink to a roller I2, which in turn transfers it to the drum I3. Means are provided for varying the pressure between the rollers 9 -and I2, and as embodied the ends of arms Ill are formed into yokes I4, which straddle a lug I5, and are provided with adjusting screws I6 acting on opposite sides of lug I5. The surface of roller 9 is preferably formed as a large number of relatively small and uniform cones, pyramids, or other bodies having a relatively small area at their outer ends and having sloping sides. By adjustment of the fountain, these may be inked as far or as little down their sides as desired at the fountain and may be pressed into the transfer roller to the desired degree to transfer the desired amount of ink. If either roller 9 or I2 has a resilient outer part, by varying the pressure between them, the contacting area of the reticulations can be varied and the amount of ink conveyed from roller 9 to roller I2 can be nicely regulated. The ink is conveyed onwardly and is changed to a continuous uniform coating by the coaction of roller I2 and drum I3, and is conveyed forward to ink the printing plate, all in a well-known manner.

In Fig. 3 a reticulate ink-conveying surface is diagrammatically shown, having pyramldal conformation, and a point p may be regarded at the apex of one projection or pyramid, having outwardlyV sloping sides s. In Fig. 2 a reticulate cylindrical body 20 is shown sectionally In light contact with a smooth cylindrical body 2l, which would effect the transfer of ink from 20 to 2l as dots of small area, and containing little ink, as diagrammatically shown at 22 in Fig. 5.

In Fig. 4, the bodies 20 and 2l are shown in contact under increased pressure, which would effect the transfer of the ink to 2l in dots of larger area and containing more ink as diagrammatical- 1y shown at 23 in Fig. 6. The doctor blade 3 and the pressure means for the reticulate roller may be cooperatively regulated to realize various de sired results; for instance, the ink can be cut fairly line on the fountain ,roller and the pressure at the reticulate roller can be increased so as to get a maximum of ink on to the plate, which is frequently desirable in fast presses and conduces to eliminate ink throwing at high speeds.

In Fig. 7 there is shown diagrammatically an entire rotary inking system comprising a fountain 3D, fountain roller 3I, transfer roller 32, ink drums 33, 34,' form rollers '35, 38 and a plate cylinder 3l. In this arrangement the broken surface rollers 3B, 39 are resilient, and are mediate the drums 33 and 34, and may be moved angularly in either direction, as indicated by the arrows, to increase or decrease the pressure between the rollers 33, 39 and the drums 33 and 33, to vary and regulate the ink supply in the manner and according to the method precedingly described.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What I claim is:

1. The method of controlling the amount of ink transferred in an inking system which comprises supplying ink in regulated degree to a plurality of closely contiguous, pointed, tapered inelastic projections at and adjacent their points, pressing said projections against a resilient inkreceiving surface to effect a desired degree of indentation of said projections in the resilient surface to govern the amount of ink transferred to said ink-receiving surface.

2. In an inking system the combination of a fountain, a fountain roller, means acting on the fountain roller to regulate the amount of ink taken thereon, a hard roller running in contact with the fountain roller, its cylindrical surface comprising a plurality of contiguous, pointed,

tapering ink-receiving and ink-conveying points adapted to take ink in regulated amounts at and about their points from the fountain roller, a resilient ink-receiving roller running in contact with said last-named roller, and means for varying the pressure between said hard roller and ink-receiving roller to govern the degree of ln- ,dentation of the ink points into the surface of the ink-receiving roller to govern the amount of ink transferred.

3. The niethod of controlling the amount of ink transferred in an inking system to a printing surface which comprises employing two contactanzianav ing ink-conveying surfaces, one of which has a plurality of contiguous, pointed, tapering inelastic bodies, and thev other of which has a smooth resilient slu'face, applying ink in regulatedv quantity to one of said surfaces and regulating the pressure between said contacting surfaces to vary the indentation of the resilient surface by the inelastic surface to regulate the amount of ink transferred by one of said surfaces to the other. r

4. In an inking system, the combination of an ink-conveying member having an inking surface comprising a plurality of closely contiguous, spaced-apart, rigid projections with tapered side walls, an ink-conveying member having a resilif ent4 even surface, `means for applying ink in regulated quantity to one of said surfaces. and

means for varyingithe pressure between said surfaces to regulate the degree of indentation of said resilient surface to vary the amount of ink transf V ed from one of said surfaces to the othenx`l 5. In an inking system, in combination three consecutive contacting inking cylinders, vthe middle cylinder having a surface comprising a plurality of closely-contiguous spaced-apart, ta.-

pered, rigid projections with tapered side walls,

Athe cylinders at either side having resilient surfaces capable of being indented-by the projections on the middle cylinder and means for regulating the pressure between the three cylinders to regulate the amount of ink received and the amount conveyed by the middle cylinder. l

. AUBURN TAYLOR. 

